Web Design Articles

The following is a list of articles, case studies and how-tos about Web sites. This includes personalization, customization and Web metrics.

I am currently a product manager for WebMD’s Business Intelligence unit. I have worked in the Internet industry since 1993 and with many companies and government agencies. These include the Direct Marketing Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, Atlantic City and the City University of New York.

• Web Analytics - A Reporting Approach This document outlines a reporting model for media sites. The metrics covered here are focused on the primary metrics used to report performance and improvement and the relationship between those metrics.
• Web Analytics - A Reporting Approach A web analytics program consists of many elements and reporting is critical. Good reporting drives the Business to act on the insights and knowledge gained so the organization can improve. This article focuses on the reporting process and provides examples of a useful report format.
• A Case Study for a Site Registration Form A while ago, we looked at the click through rates for a site registration process. In that study we found that is was the first page of the registration process that had the greatest potential for improvement. Changing the copy made no difference to the page’s click through rate, so we decided to see if changing the form would create a useful improvement in click through. Did it work?
• A Case Study in Site Registration Copy Recently, we looked at the click through rates for a site registration process. In that study we found that is was the first page of the registration process that had the greatest potential for improvement. This article shows how we approached the task of improving that page and illustrates why you should always measure the results of your efforts.
• Understanding a Web Measurement Program More and more, companies are turning to the Web for customer intelligence. Effective Web measurement is more than looking at a few page hit numbers, its part of your Market Analysis. This article outlines the steps involved in a Web Analytics Program and what each step entails.
• Get a Web Analyst If you are not already looking for a Web analyst, you may be looking soon. Web analytics has been around for a while. The Web channel is at the point, however, where Marketing is beginning to realize just how important Web analytics is to their future. Find out what to look for in a Web Analyst.
• What Executives Need to Know for a Successful Web Project - Part Two In part two of this paper, I discuss the necessary staff and skill sets for a Web project and its typical organization. A successful Web project requires an understanding of these things at the executive level.
• What Executives Need to Know for a Successful Web Project - Part One In part one of this paper, I discuss two things critical to a successful Web site: setting business objectives and measuring whether those objectives have been achieved. A successful Web project requires an understanding of Web goals and measuring at the executive level.
• An Experiment in Organic Search By simply following the SEO experts’ advice, we were able to significantly improve the positioning of several of The DMA’s Web pages for key phrases. And it didn't cost us anything.
• Web Marketers: Learn the User Experience! The ability of the customer to use a Web site is a significant component of the customer’s experience. That experience is your brand.
• AB Testing a Web Ad – a Case Study Choosing your link labels carefully will increase click-thru. It may well be that the more your ad looks like an ad, the fewer clicks it will generate.
• A Case Study in Site Registration Click -Through Tracking click-thru helps you understand how easy it is for customers to use your Web site. Understanding that can both help them and directly affect the bottom line.
• Database E-Mail Publishing - A Case Study If organizations want to compete successfully for customers' attention, they must find a way to filter information for them. The DMA's MyDMA newsletter delivers information unique to each subscriber using Database Publishing.